A-Infos (en) Britain, Anarchist Federation Resistance 120, March 2010 - page 6 - I'm A Photographer... Not A Terrorist!

Over 2,000 amateur and professional photographers staged a "shoot-in" at Trafalgar Square 
on January 22nd in protest against the increasing use of stop and search powers by the 
police. The protest was organised by the group I'm A Photographer Not A Terrorist! and 
many carried placards with this slogan. Last April, two Austrian tourists were forced to 
delete their pictures after being stopped by police in Walthamstow, and Alex Turner, an 
amateur photographer, was arrested under section 44 after snapping a fish and chip shop in 
Kent! Jeff Overs, a BBC photographer, was stopped under suspicion of terrorism 
reconnaissance while photographing St Paul's Cathedral, and another amateur photographer 
was also stopped by two police community support officers for photographing Christmas 
lights in Brighton.

In December Guardian reporter Paul Lewis was stopped and
searched while taking pictures of the
Gherkin building in London and Grant
Smith, an architecture photographer,
was stopped while photographing Sir
Christopher Wren's Christ Church.

Controlling images, controlling dissent...

While ending harassment of photographers is alaudable aim, it cannot be seen as an end in 
itself. The aggravation we experience from the police, and their proxies in the growing 
number of private security guards in shopping malls and areas such as Canary Wharf, is not 
just a question of attitude - it’s a symptom of a state that actively suspects us.

This is more than an issue of civil liberties - it’s one of a state that fears what
the free flow of images and information can do to its ability to maintain control. 
Regardless of which party wins the election, we’ll still have a state that distrusts its 
subjects and fears activists who wish to challenge its authority.

The ongoing economic and fiscal crisis will trigger a growing wave of protest and dissent 
over the next few years. The authorities will seek to do their utmost in clamping down on 
dissent and controlling how their actions are portrayed and documented.

Technology enables us to disseminate images of state clampdowns on dissent. We can only do 
this if we have the freedom to shoot and distribute what we choose without fear. It’s in 
the interest of the powers that be to make life difficult for photographers, restricting 
the scope of our activity and creating a climate of fear. If photographers are fearful of 
harassment, arrest or even assault, they’ll think twice about recording and documenting 
how the authorities deal with dissent.

Backing off because we fear the consequences will hand victory to the state who will be 
emboldened to act with impunity when faced with challenges to their authority. Harassment 
of photographers is not just a matter of the authorities having the wrong attitude - it’s 
integral to the state being able to maintain control in what will be difficult and 
turbulent times. While it’s right we stand up for our rights in the here and now, asking 
the state to back off is futile because meeting our demands will undermine their authority
- that would be unthinkable for them…

If we are serious about fighting for our freedoms, we have to recognise that
the state and its growing apparatus of control is the real problem…
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